Fashion Slow Lane!

As a fashion consultant to start-up brands in the fashion industry, I have compiled the top 5 mistakes that new designers make. Want to manufacture their products in the USA but expect to retail for Target prices.   The main request I get from new designers is to design their collection and then they request that I help them produce it in the USA, yet they want to retail it for the same price as Target.  I let them know that that is impossible because the cost of production in the USA is 5-10X that of overseas depending on the product.  New designers need to educate themselves on production costs in the USA vs. Asia before they start their collection.  Do not have a core target market.   Often new designers do not have a target market. They want to design a collection for everyone.  Big mistake.  It is nearly impossible to design a fashion item for a target demographic that is everyone.  When I try to pinpoint the demographics of their ...

Life in the Barrio A young American woman views on life in a remote village in Southern Davao, The Philippines  (Disclaimer:  I wrote this when I was 25 years old and this story is based own personal experiences & travel journal entries at that time) I have traveled to the Philippines three times. I always go to the same place in Southern Davao on Mindanao Island. Life in “the barrio” I visit there is very interesting.  The barrio consists of a group of houses in one area of the province, like a subdivision of the main town. In Southern Davao, most of the families live in the same general area. When a couple gets married, they build a house on their family plot of land, so everyone in the family lives closely together.  Gossip.  Everyone knows what everyone else in doing; gossip is the mainstay of life. Because there are no telephones and no jobs for...

About six years ago we flew to Bangkok to pick up our daughter from a Thai orphanage.  She was a toddler with a mind of her own and spoke Thai.  Luckily I speak some Thai!  It took weeks or months for her to stop trying to go with strangers we met in the elevator of our building..that is what happens when you grow up with random rotating caretakers in an institution like setting. There were many other challenges along that way, but she was healthy and happy.   Fast forward to today...my Thai girl is 9 years old.  She is spunky, cheerful and likes to eat Thai food.  To celebrate her 9th birthday we went to a local Thai restaurant that I have not tried yet!  The food was AMAZING!  Try the Lobster for example...to die for!  So amazing that I have to blog about it!   www.chedithaibistro.com in La Jolla, CA They had the best Thai food I have tried so far in the area!  Aroy Maek Maek!

Me on Washington Coast I grew up in Washington State.  It has been good and bad to me.   I feel like times flies very fast when I live in Seattle, but nothing changes, and everything stays the same.   People are not as open in Seattle, it might have something to do with the rain.   I tried for five years to be part of the local fashion community but it was and is stale at best.   I have made a few great friends, but I don't want to retire here or live here, so its time to move on.  I feel like I still have a lot of growth to make as a person, in my career, and I feel like I have been frozen in time in Seattle. Rocco on rare Seattle Sunny Day Goodbye, Seattle.  It has been fun.  Seven rainy winters, Seven bouts of S.A.D. during the Seven long and gloomy winters.   Rocco has been depressed for seven years...he misses the sun.   I have to make it up to him so he can retire in sunny Southern California. I went to visit my gran...

This is my favorite park in Bologna, Italy.  Have you ever been here? I also like the interesting door knockers.  Love this one.  I guess I will move here someday.  It has more interesting things to view than the United States for me anyway.

I have been a handbag designer for over 10 years.  Do you want to start your own handbag or fashion line? Do you need help?  Not sure where to start? Sauvage Design Lounge can help you launch your line!!!!  (and it won't cost you an arm and a leg) My team and I have been helping start up brands for the past 5 years.  We can help you with anything from designing a logo to what factory to use to produce your goods.  We specialize in handbags, belts and fashion accessories.  Our consulting fees start at $75.00 per hour on up.   We know how difficult it is to start up a fashion line.  With our combined experience we can help you avoid the pitfalls of starting up a line and guide you in the right direction. If you just need help selecting leather or don't know where to go for top notch hardware...we can help! Anything from first sketch through to final production...we can help with the entire process.   Also if you are not sure of what trade s...

Oprah always has great book reviews in her magazine. Yes, I subscribe to her magazine and have for years.  I reread them all, then recycle them in our lobby for other people to read.  She loves her kindle and all those book reader gadgets.  They would all fit in the Italian leather "Messina" satchel.  This is a port town in Italy.   Let me know what you think.  This luxury bag will fit all your gadgets for sure.  So call me, maybe?  roccodante@comcast.net

As most of my friends know we are winding down the brand.   It's a tough economy for luxury start up brands and I am no exception.  I have scaled the brand back to an online shop and just a few local stores.  Maybe in the future we can ramp it up again, if I win the lottery or find half a million dollars in my mattress. Now I am at a crossroads, I am interested in taking on a full time job as a designer or something in fashion and possibly working towards an MBA to sharpen my skills. I am hoping a big brand will hire me.  I love design, that is for sure.  I went broke being an entrepreneur and I sure learned a lot of things and about myself as well.  One thing I learned is I hate bookkeeping and working in the warehouse, and following Nordstroms one million page routing guide is a complete nightmare.   What I love? Trend research , design, dealing with cool shop owners, and social media!   Love twitter, Facebook, all that jazz.  I would r...